Marina of the Year
Each year two marinas in the United States (one small—fewer than 250 slips and one large—250+ slips) are selected to win. These marinas will have achieved success through exemplary business practices, commitment to customer service, environmental responsibility, and contributions to the marina industry. Winners will be featured in one of our 2010 issues.
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Ko Olina Marina and Fishermen’s Village Yacht Basin
named 2008 Marina of the Year award winners
By Anna Townshend
A quaint 145-slip water village in Punta Gorda, Fla., and a luxury resort, setting new standards for Hawaiian marina success, win this year’s Marina of the Year awards. Marina Dock Age presents awards in two categories – marinas with fewer than or more than 250 slips – and it thanks all this year’s applicants.
Large marina winner
In the summer of 2006, for the first time in 30 years, Hawaii’s shores welcomed a new marina when Ko Olina Marina, Kapolei, Hawaii, finished construction of its 330-slip facility.
Phase one of the project, which began in 2000, built 226 slips for 150-foot yachts. The second phase added 63 slips for vessels 55 feet and up. The full-service slips have power, water, cable, and Internet access, surrounded by floating concrete docks, approximately 154,000 square feet of docks in all over 43 acres of water. The Ko Olina Resort also includes a golf course, tennis courts, restaurants, lagoons and a hotel and spa.
With very few pumpout stations in the entire Hawaiian Island chain, sewage discharge is a big concern and one that Ko Olina takes very seriously. It requires all its tenants to sign a mooring agreement, pledging to not discharge sewage into the harbor waters.
Since opening Ko Olina Marina, Hawaii has seen an increase in the number of registered boats 70 feet and above, according to Randy Short, CEO of Almar Management, the marina’s management company.
Small marina winner
Fishermen’s Village Yacht Basin on Florida’s Charlotte Harbor faced huge challenges in 2004 after Hurricane Charlie left more than $10 million of damages. To rebuild or not to rebuild, that was the question the marina answered affirmatively.
In addition to rebuilding the devastation, the three-year project also upgraded many of the facilities. Its transformation included new fixed concrete docks and dock equipment, a 120-foot T-dock for large vessels, a fire suppression system, and a 112-foot fuel dock with a state-of-the-art underground fueling system. The marina can accommodate vessels up to 120 feet long, but 40 feet is its average sized boat.
The Yacht Basin, a distinguished Florida Clean Marina, supports environmental boating in many ways. It has a unique program called “Keep a Clean Head,” which offers a five percent discount on fuel purchases for vessels that pump their holding tanks at the marina. Also, with a more than $93,000 investment, the marina has developed a “Clean Waterfront Renovation Plan” that calls for using sustainable materials in all improvements and additions, which the marina will begin implementing in 2009 with the reconstruction of its commercial and side-tie courtesy dock.
Date: June 25, 2009